Tell Them She's Not Scared
by maddythegrrr8
Summary: A mysterious stranger comforts Marie after she cuts herself in an alley. Later, she moves to Peach Creek with her sisters and mother, unable to forget about the man that helped her. Double D still remembers the night he helped the sad girl, only remembering her blue hair. Double D meets Marie and instantly recognizes her, while Marie needs help remembering.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Marie Kanker slowly walked into the small, 24 hrs, brightly lit milk store, making a little bell ring behind her and made her squint her eyes from the brightness. It was close to midnight in the middle of January, and was extremely dark outside, the street lamps scarce. She sniffled as she walked down the short aisles, closely examining what she was looking for. She grabbed her usuall box of blue hair dye and continued on, looking for something much more important within the aisles of the silent corner store.

Marie Kanker is fifteen years old, blue haired, green eyed, and somewhat short. Her hair used to be short with side swept bangs, but she eventually started growing her hair out and it now reached her shoulder blades, though she kept the bangs. Her black sweatshirt was comfy and soft, though the sleeves were chewed through, a nervous habit Marie had acquired the more she wore the sweatshirt. Her jeans had holes in them and her converse were worn through. The freckles on her cheeks were more pronounced as her face was still red from the cold outside.

She sighed as she crossed over into another aisle, not finding what she was looking for. She grabbed a cheap red wine bottle and continued through the aisles. Finally, at the last aisle, she found them. A small package of razors.

She quickly took them and went to the cashier, showing him her fake ID. He gave her a curious look when he saw the information on the plastic card and saw how young she looked, but he still handed her back her purchases.

She left the corner store quickly and walked for a few blocks looking at the stars, and then at her feet. She eventually ducked into a small, dark alley.

She opened the wine bottle and took a swig, sitting against the brick wall. She continued drinking, thinking of what her sisters were doing. May was probably asleep, tired out from her four hour cheer practice. Lee was probably helping mom clean the house and doing the laundry. She laughed at how responsible her sisters seemed compared to her. Lee was always helping mom out and May was always achieving something with her athleticism. Marie just caused trouble for the whole family, getting in trouble at school and her emotional drama.

Marie sighed again and dropped the wine bottle to her side, taking out the razors. She opened the package and pulled out the first small razor. It was still shiny in the dim lighting, reflecting the little light it had. Marie saw a distorted image of herself on the razors surface, her blue hair sticking out. She pulled up her sleeve and saw scars that she had made previously. She saw her image one last time before she dragged the razor across her skin. The pain felt good to her, she let out some of all the emotion that she bottled up inside of her. She looked down at the blood droplets curiously. They were beautiful in a way, how they slowly got bigger and bigger until they dripped down her wrist. Marie was mesmerized, until she saw her reflection again. She saw the distorted image of her eyes and the pain was able to be perceived onto the razor's surface. She dropped the razor like it had burned her and she started crying, pulling her sleeve up to stop the bleeding. She pulled her knees in and wrapped her arms around herself, sobbing about what had led her to become this way.

At that precise moment, a teenage boy was walking down the sidewalk admiring the stars. He looked down at his shoes, thinking and calculating about how far away the stars and nebulae were when he heard sobbing from the alley. He quickly discovered that it was a young girl crying. He silently walked down the alley only to find his hypothesis correct, a young girl was crying into her knees, an open bottle of wine next to her along with a shiny object by her foot.

Double D took pity on the girl and he walked closer to her. He wasn't able to clearly make out her features, but he did notice her blue hair. He also noticed that the shiny object was a razor, with small traces of blood on it. Once he saw what it was and what was on it, Double D quickly bent down by the girl to comfort her.

"Hey," was all Double D said to let the girl know about his presence, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He decided that asking 'are you alright?' would make him sound unintelligent, because she was clearly not 'alright.'

Marie looked up into the strangers face, becoming slightly annoyed that she couldn't see his features clearly. Nonetheless she accepted his comfort. She gave him a sad smile, something that she would normally not do. Normally, Marie would've punched the intruder for seeing her cry.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Double D.

Marie didn't know what to say, so she leaned into his chest. She wasn't crying anymore, she just wanted someone to hold her and make her feel like she wasn't so hollow.

Double D didn't know what to do, so he just awkwardly patted her back which made her chuckle quietly. He liked the sound of her laugh.

She looked up into his face and said, "I probably seem really pathetic right now… Thank you." Marie never used manners, not even with her mother.

"You're quite welcome. You seem like you needed someone for the moment."

Marie smiled sadly, "Yeah, I really did."

She continued to be held by Double D, but only for a few minutes. Marie finally looked up, her face dry. "Could you just do one thing for me?" Marie continued before he could answer, "Just… throw away the razors, would'ya? Please." Marie looked at Double D with sad eyes.

Double D smiled at Marie, his white teeth visible with the little lighting.

"Of course." Marie stood up, Double D following suit. She grabbed the razors and pushed them into Double D's hands. She quickly grabbed the rest of her stuff, not wanting to get rid of the wine. Marie gave one last smile to Double D as she walked toward the edge of the alley.

"Thanks so much, stranger. You really don't know what you've done for me today." She kissed his cheek and quickly ran out of the alley, into the darkness.

Double D left the alley as well, throwing away the razors in a nearby garbage can. All the while feeling the tingle left on his cheek from Marie's kiss, a smile on his face, not even noticing that he didn't get her name.


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

_The Beginning of September_

The Kanker sisters were all in their new living room, unpacking the last of the things that they brought on their sudden move. The Kankers had lived in Naper Village, an hour away from where they moved to, Peach Creek.

Their mother had been working in a small restaurant that paid well when they suddenly laid her off, Naper Village going through their off season took a toll on the small town. Their mother had quickly found a job in Peach Creek working in a four-star restaurant that paid enough for her to keep up with her family. They had quickly packed up their small two-bedroom apartment and were now in their new home, a fairly large trailer that held the small family of women comfortably.

The cardboard boxes were all labeled neatly and Marie was unloading the box labeled 'kitchen.' Dishes, utensils, and stove ware were slowly being unpacked and put on the small shelves in the fairly medium sized kitchen. Lee and May were unloading the books and movies from their boxes.

Marie had decided that she had helped her sisters enough for the day and she took the little belongings she had from the floor. Marie was taking her backpack full of her stuff to her new bedroom, walking up the steep stairs slowly, when she suddenly heard Lee and May start one of their infamous arguments.

Lee and May Kanker were complicated girls. May Kanker, the baby of the family, once had buck teeth and long blonde hair. She had changed drastically over the past years, she only wore her hair in a tight, high ponytail and her teeth had been fixed immediately when her mother was once able to afford braces. She still had a lisp, but it had went from annoying and unintelligent to cute and sweet. She seemed to be the image of the lovable teen, but she usually used her looks to get what she wanted and hurt many in the process.

Lee Kanker, the oldest, had bright read hair that was in a pixie cut. Her bangs were always in her blue eyes, so she was always having to swipe them out of her face. Lee went from guy to guy, people frequently calling her 'white trash,' 'trailer scum,' and other names along those lines. Her voice was a little lower than a normal girls and became quite gruff when she was angry, like right now.

"Did you bring the blue sweater?" Lee asked May with clenched teeth.

"Yeah, Lee, I put it in one of the boxes," May said annoyed, flipping her hair and rolling her pale blue eyes.

"I don't see it no where." And their argument started.

Marie rolled her eyes, her sisters were always fighting over petty things that she had no interest in. She stomped up the rest of the stairs to let her sisters know that she was annoyed and leaving the room. They didn't seem to notice Marie's absence.

When Marie finally reached her and her sisters new bedroom she studied the room carefully. There were bunk beds pushed over to the left side of the room while a small twin bed was pushed against the opposite wall. A small closet was in the back of the small room and was full of cobwebs and dust. Marie sighed when she saw the dust. Messes really annoyed her, especially when they had just moved into a new home. She walked over to the twin bed, not wanting to share a bunk with either of her sisters. She laid down heavily, claiming the bed officially, and looked up at the ceiling, which was compromised of metal sheets overlapping each other.

Marie thought back to that cold January night when she had cut herself and met the stranger that had helped her. She sighed dreamily. She wished she were able to meet him again so that she could properly thank him. Not to mention to see his face fully and learn his name. Marie always thought of his smile whenever she became depressed, as that was the only thing she was able to make out of his appearance. She wondered if he thought about her at all. She sighed again, this time sadly, and rolled over. He probably thought she was pathetic and needed help, which was true. Or maybe he hadn't given her a second thought, which made Marie feel even worse.

Marie rolled up the sleeve of her dark blue shirt and examined her scars. She had not cut herself once since she had met the stranger. She had come close a couple of times, very close, but she had reminded herself of the stranger, his smile, and what he would've done to make her stop. She was very proud of herself, even if she still drank alcohol to mask her sorrow.

Marie looked out the small window and saw that it was dusk, the crescent shaped moon already shining. She would be starting at a new school tomorrow with her sisters and she was slightly nervous. She didn't want to meet new people or put on a brave face. Out of all the sisters, Marie was the quietest. She didn't really see the point at having to confront people and tell them of her problems. She yawned tiredly and took her jeans off, throwing them on the floor. She went under the covers of her new bed, noticing that it was comfier than it looked, and she went to sleep.

Double D was lounging at his desk, tapping his pencil against his knee rhythmically. He was looking over the summer homework he had received for his AP courses, checking and rechecking his neat answers. He had gotten bored after looking through his AP Calculus homework, and he was now daydreaming to get his mind out of formulas and numbers.

Double D had undergone a dramatic change, different from his thirteen year old self. He remembered how lanky and uncoordinated he once was, that had changed once he had started playing tennis. He was still skinny, but there was muscle on his frame instead of just skin and bone like before. He had received a nice tan, thanks to all of his summer training, though his feet were still pale from constantly wearing gym shoes. Tennis had seemed to be the ideal sport for him; it was a no contact sport, he was able to iron and wash his pristine white uniforms to his heart's content, and it was really more a game of strategy than strength. Double D had quickly gained the number one singles spot for his high school team.

He used to wear a black ski cap with white stripes to hide the top of his head. He was actually wearing said hat currently. There were many speculations among the cul-de-sac kids as to why he wore the hat. Did he have an ugly scar? Bad case of bed head? Weird head shape? The weirdest theory came from Rolf, he had thought that the Double D Ed Boy was so smart that his brain peeked out from the top of his head.

But the real reason was really something that was obvious for everyone to see, and not really embarrassing in the least. Double D finally revealed what was under his hat when he had started high school.

As a kid, Double D would constantly be taking bobby pins out from underneath his hat to use for his experiments, which really was a sign that he had lots of hair, at least enough for bobby pins. It was eventually revealed that Double D didn't cut his hair, his excuse was that he had no time for such trivial things as a hair cut. Eventually, Double D was unable to manage his long brown hair and he cut it himself. It was now peeking out from underneath his hat and it barely reached his shoulders.

Double D continued to tap the pencil against his knee as he thought about the blue haired girl and what she was doing. He had hoped that he had made an impact on her and that she hadn't resorted to hurting herself again. Double D sighed and took his hat off, throwing it on his desk. He ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his eyes. He wanted to make sure that she was all right. He felt his left cheek, a habit he had been doing ever since he met her, and he smiled unconsciously.

Double D put his work into his already stuffed backpack and he took out a checklist to make sure that he had everything for his first day of school. He quickly checked everything off and he went to his bed, noticing that it was only eight o clock. He laid in bed for a few minutes, unable to fall asleep. He got out of bed suddenly and put his hat back on, along with an orange sweater and flip-flops. He opened his window quietly, so as not to disturb his sleeping parents and the cul-de-sac. He climbed down the thick ivy that had managed to grow up to his bedroom window. He jumped the last few feet and continued on his way to the junkyard.

There was a cool breeze in the air and the stars were already out. Double D sighed pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. As Double D passed the trailer park, he noticed a van full of cardboard boxes and more boxes that seemed to be empty scattered at the front of the house. He wondered who had moved in, but the thought quickly left him as he thought again of the blue haired girl.

He had not told either of his best friends about her or where he had gone when he met her. Ed and Eddy would not have understood why Double D did what he did for the girl. Eddy probably would've made fun of him for not making a move on her, or at least call him an idiot for not getting her name. Double D rolled his eyes when he thought of his short friend, then chuckled a bit when he remembered how cheap and greedy he could be. Ed probably wouldn't even had grasped the idea of why someone would want to hurt themselves and probably would've made up nonsense sentences if Double D had told him.

By this time, Double D had finally made it to the junkyard. He went immediately to the purple van with flames painted on the sides. He opened the door to the drivers side, climbed in, slammed the door loudly, and put his hands on the wheels.

Double D now felt truly alone with his thoughts, which was exactly what he wanted. He continued to think about the blue haired girl until he checked his wristwatch and saw that it was nearly midnight. He cursed under his breath, knowing that he would be sleepy for school tomorrow. He quickly went home, hiding so no one questioned him as to why he left his house, and climbed up the ivy to his bedroom. He quickly jumped into bed and dreamed of the blue haired girl, not once giving school or sports another thought.


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_AP Language & Composition_

_US History _

_Algebra II_

_Spanish III _

_Lunch_

_AP Physics_

_Ceramics/Sculpture_

_Drawing/Painting_

This was Marie's new schedule that she was surprisingly happy with. Sure she started the day with an AP course and math, but her afternoon was finished off with science and art, her favorite classes. Marie was able to get away with not taking a gym since she had fulfilled her gym credits at her old school. She stuffed her schedule into her jean pocket as she finally arrived at her new school, Lee and May abandoning her already.

Marie started walking up the stone steps to Peach Creek High School, her shoes hitting the cement harshly, her headphones blasting in her ear, and her hoodie up. A kid suddenly ran by her, hitting her shoulder sharply. She looked up to only see a kid with a stupid black ski cap running and by being pulled by some tall kid, only mumbling a quiet, yet very polite, apology. Marie sighed. It wasn't his fault, he was just being pulled by his friend.

It was already a bad morning for her.

When she had woken up that morning, she saw that she was the first in the Kanker house to wake up. This annoyed her as she would have nothing to do but become more anxious for the coming school day. She could already feel a headache coming on.

She slowly got out of bed, so that she didn't get a head rush and then add to the ache in the left side of her head. She quietly got dressed, putting on pink jeans, her regular black sweatshirt, and converse. She went to the bathroom, closing the door slowly, so that she could do her usual morning routine. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and did her make-up. She looked at her bright blue hair thinking of what she could do with it. It was a little knotty and stuck up a little at the top. Marie just put some water in her hands and flattened her hair so that at least she didn't have fly-aways.

Marie went downstairs to the kitchen, only to find a note on the kitchen table. She already knew that it was from her mother, informing the sisters that she had gone to work or to do some other errand. Marie looked at the hastily written note and noticed that at the bottom it was signed 'Love, Mom.'

_Bullshit, _thought Marie. She left the note where it was so that May and Lee could read it and possibly feel mom's 'love.' All Marie had for breakfast was a granola bar and a cup of coffee, black. When she finished her breakfast, she quickly gathered her school stuff and heard her sisters start moving around. She didn't really want to interact with them, so she left, slamming the door loudly so as to alert her sisters that she had gone.

Marie didn't want to go to school early like a geek would, so she decided to explore her new neighborhood.

She went past the construction site, studying the architecture, but decided to leave since workers were showing up and machines were starting up.

Marie walked through the lane, running her slender fingers across the wood, listening to music. She suddenly stopped walking leaned against the wooden fence, sliding to the ground. She put her face in her hands. She didn't cry, she didn't really feel a need to, she just had a sudden whirl of emotions within her about moving and starting at a new school. What if they made fun of her like they did at her old school? What if they saw her scars and stayed away from her? All these questions went through her as she sat on the dirt, listening to her alternative music. She finally sat back up, her face looking pale and tired.

She looked at her watch and started going to school, seeing Lee and May on her way there. May was wearing a short denim skirt and pink tank top that was very tight, her hair in it's usual ponytail. Lee was wearing extra-short denim shorts, flip-flops, and a blue blouse open to a white shirt. Marie walked over to them.

"Hey Marie, why do you look so glum?" May said, fake concern on her face. Marie scrunched her nose, looking down at her shoes.

"Yeah. Hey May, I actually think she looks too happy. She actually moved her face!" Lee exclaimed to May.

"Oh yeah, I think you're right. Watch it Marie, you might actually crack your face with all the emotion you're showing!" May and Lee laughed at their jokes, Marie seething at her sisters.

"At least I don't look like a slut." Marie said quietly.

May and Lee stopped laughing suddenly and looked at Marie with confused looks on their faces.

"What did you say?" Lee asked threateningly.

"I said," Marie started louder, "That at least I don't look like a slut." Marie's voice didn't waver at all, it was steady and she was looking her sisters dead in the eye.

"Well," May started, her voice all fake innocence, "At least I don't look like some washed-up, high, band groupie with bad hair." May and Lee started laughing again, getting louder when they saw that Marie had stopped in her tracks, her face blank. They continued walking without their sister, their laughs getting distant as they continued to school.

Marie stood there for a few minutes, thinking about what her sisters said about her. Band-groupie? High? Bad hair?

Marie started laughing and took out her schedule, still shaking from her laughter, reaching her school in a few minutes.

Double D woke up groggily, he didn't want to stop dreaming. He turned his alarm off, took his morning shower, got dressed, got his books, went downstairs, ate breakfast, and went to get Ed and Eddy, his normal morning routine coming back to him easily.

He took out his schedule and read it while he walked to Ed's house, straightening his hat.

_AP Language & Composition_

_College Algebra _

_AP US History _

_Lunch_

_AP Physics_

_Fitness and Weights_

_AP Spanish_

He yawned as he reached Ed's window, putting his schedule away, and knocked on it harshly, knowing how deep a sleeper Ed was. Double D saw Ed poke his head out, checking to see who was knocking at his window. Ed motioned for Double D to crawl in. Double D shrugged his shoulders then sighed, he didn't want to be late for his first day.

Double D crawled in, jumping into Ed's dirty room. Double D started tapping his hand against his thigh, Ed's room really annoyed him.

Ed was a tall, gangly kid with red hair in a buzz cut. He usually wore old clothes that were dirty and wrinkly. Currently, Ed was looking in his couch for something.

"Whatcha looking for Ed?" asked Double D.

"Double D, I can't find my lucky lizard's foot."

Double D groaned, he didn't want to wait for Ed to look for some stupid lizard foot and then become late for his first day of school.

Double D suddenly remembered that Eddy had hid it in school for his amusement, breaking in yesterday during the day to only put it in Ed's locker. Double D rolled his eyes at Eddy's prank.

"Hey Ed, I know where your lucky object is at."

Ed's head snapped up. "Where, Double D, where?!" Double D told him where and suddenly he was being dragged by Ed to school. Ed was stronger than he looked, so carrying Double D's weight was no big deal. Ed ran to school, breaking a record, and made Double D run into a girl. Double D sighed at his friend's apprehensiveness. He quickly turned around to say an apology, when he noticed who he had run into.

The girl with blue hair.


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry I have not been updating as frequently as I would like to. School's just so hectic and I have A LOT of classes this year, along with varsity tennis after school (so sometimes I don't get home 'till 8pm). Tennis ends at the end of October, so hopefully by then I'll put more stuff up for y'all._

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, etc. to my story, I honestly thought it was a weird idea and that no one would like it. So gracias! _

_P.S. the name of the story is a name of a song (Tell Them That She's not scared) by Envy on the Coast, you should listen and love it :) _

_Chapter 3_

Marie went grudgingly to her locker. She found it easily, the school was small and easy to navigate. She dropped her books and school supplies into her locker and then went to her first period class, AP Language. Marie had always excelled in Science and English, they came easy to her and they were her favorite subjects. She either wanted to be a writer or a marine biologist. Maybe both, she didn't know yet.

She went to her English class excited yet nervous. What if no one liked her? She had to try to come off friendly. She thought about how much she loved English and all the books they were going to be reading that year, particularly focusing on American Literature. She walked into English with a small smile on her face towards the old, yet sweet looking teacher, her legs shaking slightly.

Double D went grudgingly with Ed to his locker, eventually having to help him open it, and finally finding his lucky lizard's foot. Double D quickly said bye to Ed once he saw what Ed was already putting in it (a moldy sandwich). Double D walked to his locker, Ed waving dreamily as he rubbed his scaly knick-knack.

Double D thought about the girl with blue hair.

She went to his school.

Double D couldn't help the small smile that came to his face, as well as the hand that went to his left cheek. Kevin, the number two singles player on the tennis team, gave him a strange look as he walked past. Double D didn't care. He carefully put his things into his locker, collecting his books for his AP English class.

He wondered if she had seen him in the dark alley. Would she recognize him? He hoped so, as he closed his locker slowly. He turned towards the English hallway.

He quickened his pace to English, not wanting to be late. He didn't even notice that he practically ran through the door, breathing heavily as he said hello to his teacher. He scanned the room impatiently, nearly missing the tell-tale blue hair. She was sitting in the back, looking out the window, drumming her fingers along the desk. Purple headphones were sticking out of her sweatshirt and her pink jeans looked worn and comfy. She was wearing the same black sweatshirt and converse that Double D last saw her in.

Marie suddenly looked up to the front of the classroom, noticing the kid that had just run through like a maniac to this class. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where she had seen him. He was giving her an odd, dreamy look that made her self-conscious. She looked down to her fingers on the desk, pondering as to where she had seen him.

Double D looked for an empty seat by her, not finding one. He went instead to the desk that was two seats in front of her, the closest one. He couldn't believe he had found her. He had thought that he would never see her again. He was smiling dreamily again and he was rubbing his left cheek. She looked even more beautiful in sunlight. Her blue hair was shinier and lustrous, her eyes were green, Double D's new favorite color. But the best part was that she looked healthy, if not a _little_ happy. Maybe his actions had affected her positively.

The final bell rang then, bringing Double D to the then and now.

"Welcome to Advanced Placement Language and Composition I am Mrs. Hayk, your instructor to this college level course." Mrs. Hayk walked to the front of her desk, continuing with her speech. "This year we will be studying how to persuade the minds of your audience, while still knowing what you're talking about, manipulating words, and American Literature. And of course, writing." Everyone in the room gave a collective groan at the last part. Mrs. Hayk continued undeterred. "Now I will give out assigned seats, more for me to learn your names then to annoy you all. By second quarter you can sit wherever you want." Mrs. Hayk laughed a little as she got out her class list. "Tell me your nickname if you have one," she added as an after thought.

She put her hand on the first desk in the row, making a smacking sound. "Van Bartonschmeer, Nastasia."

"Nazz," the blonde replied sweetly. Mrs. Hayk nodded and made a note on her paper, continuing on with the seats, backward alphabetical. Once Mrs. Hayk got to 'L,' Marie's fingers started to sweat.

"Kanker, Marie." Double D watched as the blue-haired girl, named Marie, went to her seat gracefully, giving Mrs. Hayk a shy smile.

Marie was thankful that the only acknowledgment about being a new student that she received was a slight pause and questioning look from Mrs. Hayk.

"Jamison, Edward." Double D went his seat, shocked that he was sitting next to the blue-haired girl. "Double D," he barely managed to make out to Mrs. Hayk. She nodded and continued, finishing quickly. She put her list back down on the desk and turned to the class.

"Since I'm still in summer-mode and don't really feel like doing much work today, I'll let you all talk to your neighbors, get to know each other." She seemed to give Marie a look. "But, you can't leave your seat…. And don't be smart-asses where you drag your seat by your friends." The class laughed at her little speech and they quickly turned to their neighbors.

Double D quickly turned to the girl, elated that no one else seemed to give her any attention.

Marie saw that her neighbor had turned toward her, so she did the same, giving him a smile. Jeez, he really did look familiar. She was about to say something about that, her mouth opening, but decided against it when she thought how weird it would sound. She closed her mouth. She just moved here after all, there was no way she would have seen him before.

"I'm Double D." Double D said when she closed her mouth. He gave her a small smile, not wanting to scare her away.

Marie laughed a little at the nick name. Double D didn't mind, he could listen to that laugh all day. "Creative. Where'd you come up with that?" Marie asked.

"Actually, my friend came up with it. We're all named Edward, but we have different nicknames. There's me, Edd spelled with two D's, Eddy, and Ed."

Marie nodded and looked down.

Double D couldn't help but stare. She didn't recognize him. His stomach knotted a bit when he realized this. But he continued to put his brave face on.

"I'm Marie," she finally said looking up, smiling shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Marie," Double D said, offering his hand. She laughed and gave him her hand. Double D noticed the scars that peeked out from her sweatshirt, but she didn't notice that he saw them. They ended their handshake and Double D continued to stare into her eyes.

"Is there something on my face?" Marie asked, "Because you keep staring at me weirdly."

Double D looked down. "No, there's nothing on your face."

"Are you just saying that? Cuz, y'know, someone did that to me before. They said I had nothing on my face but really I had a black Sharpie mark all along my cheek." Marie smiled and Double D laughed. He looked back up.

"No, I'm sure, I'd never do that."

"I believe you." They shared a moment of silence, but it wasn't really awkward. Right when Double D was about to say something, the bell rang.

"Guess I'll see you later," Marie said getting up quickly to go to her next class.

"Yeah, it's a small school," Double D responded, but Marie was already at the door, evaluating her feelings.

Double D didn't sit by Marie for the rest of the classes that they had together, and he went home feeling depressed and worn, unknowing that Marie felt the same way.


End file.
